Each photo is an inexhaustible source of food for thought and emotion

On the opening day of Den’s Photo Exhibit in our city, Arkhip Kuindzhi painted good spring-like weather for it, clear and welcoming. The Kuindzhi monument stands in the very center of Mariupol, and it seems that the artist touches the sky with his brush from atop the classical column.

The opening of the exhibition was well-attended and held in an atmosphere of celebration, extraordinary cultural event and sincere dialog conducted to the sound of music. The first photo one saw at the entrance was The Old Man and the Sea, an excellent Ernest Hemingway-inspired seascape created by Inna Oskolska from Kyiv. And then, one encountered Den’s sea in Mariupol, which showed the symbolic headline on the front page of the newspaper, copies of which quickly rose, opened, swayed in the hands of Mariupol residents, as if carried by the waves of sea.

Mariupol is the center of the Ukrainian Azov Coast, but TV calls our city part of the Donbas for some reason, as if trying to normalize geographic illiteracy. Meanwhile, Den improves not only people’s historical knowledge, but that of the geography of Ukraine as well. For example, look at meaningful, figurative, and geographically well-thought-out headline of Maria Prokopenko’s article: “Lighthouses of Ukraine on the Azov Coast.” It is like a compass, preventing one from getting lost between the three very different regions of Ukraine.

Pictures of the “Birds of Water Bodies” series breathe a marine, watery air. Near Mariupol, there is the Maeotis National Park, which is home to more than 250 species of birds. Pelicans are among them, such as those pictured on the photo A Sea Battle, taken by Viacheslav Madiievskyi from Kharkiv. The artist managed to capture the most expressive moment of the birds’ interspecific struggle for fish. They face off beak to beak, water sprays fly in all directions, and the two are about to halve their catch. Meanwhile, one would probably need a telescope to take a picture of an air battle involving a raven and seagulls on Mariupol’s Livoberezhny Beach. Kyiv-based Tetiana Barybina’s photo Full Steam Ahead shows a beautiful white swan starting its flight from a water ‘runway.’ It is an apt reminder of where all modern superfast and supersonic aircraft as well as airliners come from.

I am glad that the exhibition features the works of photographers from Mariupol: Alina Komarova, Daria Dunet, and Yevhen Sosnovskyi. It brings to mind Komarova’s first submission to Den’s photo competition, which depicted a little girl with a blue-and-yellow flag standing beside a giant monument to Vladimir Lenin. The picture’s title was Proportions, if I recall correctly. The proportions between Ukrainian patriotism and ghosts of the Communist past were terribly distorted, but the girl survived it all, firmly holding the flag of Ukraine. The photo A Survivor features a Ukrainian soldier who has just survived a hellish battle, and next to him one sees a headless sunflower. Comparing these two photos by Komarova, one concludes that the distortion of proportions between Ukrainian and Soviet identities, which eastern Ukrainian politicians formerly exploited, is now being corrected by the soldiers and officers who are fighting for the liberation of Ukraine from the Russian occupiers.

Yevhen Sosnovskyi’s photos depict happy and sad moments of life in Mariupol, a city sitting near the frontlines. A Happy Man portrays the father holding his son in arms, while school children rejoice in the photo The Last Bell. The photo Tank Girl shows a seriously-looking girl in a helmet sitting atop a tank, probably making the boys envious. Subjects of The Red-Haired smile: they look like matured characters of Vsevolod Nestaiko’s children’s novels. The photo The Last Farewell, showing a funeral for fallen soldiers, is sad. Parents of reconnaissance soldier Andrii Nazarenko receive his posthumously awarded Order for Courage in Andrii’s Order.

It was very interesting to finally see the picture which won Mykola Tymchenko (Den’s staff photographer) the prize of Svan cap. The title Young Wine seemed to point to a new generation of winemakers. However, it actually depicted a very young “fashion setter,” who was getting her first experience of crushing grapes by stomping on them with oversized boots. Yes, it was a touching and funny situation as perceived by adults. Judging by facial expressions of the girl, she was not amused. Still, the photo gives people joy and brings kind smiles to their faces. A similar effect is exerted by the works of Kyiv-based Natalia Sharomova (A Goose I Won’t Give Up) and Mariupol-based Daria Dunet (Fine Fragrance), which vividly reflect the world of childhood. Meanwhile, Sosnovskyi’s photo reports he made for Den show Mariupol residents’ emotional response to these pictures.

The visitors paid most attention to photos of our soldiers, heroic defenders of the Motherland. It seems that Mariupol fans of photography do not see politicians even as supporting actors, but rather as mere extras. It is not really a case of downplaying the role of politics and politicians, but rather a sign of our time, when the harsh reality ranks people as they should be ranked.

Yevhen Malolietka’s art photo depicts a legendary lake. I visited Lake Synevyr once, and then it seemed to me to be a blue eye that looked at the sky through the green eyelashes of spruce trees. Malolietka’s work shows that when seen from a bird’s eye view, the lake can be imagined as the pulsating heart of the Carpathian Mountains. There are many Synevyr profiles online made from such a perspective, but they all are mechanical results of conventional aerial photography. Malolietka, meanwhile, came up with a lively, majestic, and even breathtaking scene of nature. In the harmonious combination of the photo and the title, The Heart of the Carpathians becomes a symbol. Most importantly, it emits a strong positive environment-friendly aura.

The Communist-like barbarism of some de-Communizers is revealed by the photo Horses Are Not To Blame, taken by Pavlo Palamarchuk from Lviv. Maybe this year, someone will submit to our competition a picture of mutilated horse from the Shchors monument. Just like creatures born to crawl cannot fly, the new barbarians are not able to create anything, only to destroy, it being their wretched gift.

Each photo of Den’s exhibition is an inexhaustible source of food for thought and emotion. For the first time ever, Mariupol hosts a photo exhibition featuring the topmost artistic level, hard-hitting content and noble style, which has become a major event in the cultural and social life of the city. For Den, it is the first exhibition to be opened in Mariupol, while Mariupol residents have discovered Den for themselves. Many thanks to Den’s staffers, photographers, everyone who created the event which is a true celebration of photography in Mariupol!

Den’s 18th International Photo Exhibit will run at the Arkhip Kuindzhi Center of Contemporary Art and Culture till April 14. Admission is free!